Archer Skill Tree — Every Node
The Archer tree is the most impactful class tree in the game for a single reason: Lone Ranger. That one Keystone node changes how every other tower in your party is positioned for the rest of every run. The remaining nodes exist either to amplify the Lone Ranger output or to support alternative builds when isolation isn't the goal. This page documents every Archer node with exact bonuses, skill point costs, prerequisites, and an honest tier rating for both Story Mode and Endless Mode.
Node tier key
Core — invest first, always
Strong — high value after Core
Keystone — build-defining node
Situational — map/build dependent
Skip — stat padding, low impact
📋 Skill Point Cap
The skill point cap across all three trees is 520, raised from 450 in the v1.0.2 patch. Points are shared across all three class trees — investing heavily in the Archer tree means fewer points for the Defender and Healer trees. The Archer tree contains approximately 100 nodes; a dedicated Archer build typically invests 40–55 points here.
Branch 1 — Foundations
Entry nodes · No prerequisites
The entry branch. No prerequisites. Every build starts here. These nodes are cheap and provide direct damage or attack speed bonuses that apply immediately from the first wave.
1SP
Keen EyeCore
+5% Archer damage
Flat damage percentage. First node in the tree, always taken. Applies to all attack types including on-hit procs.
1SP
Steady DrawCore
+5% attack speed
Attack speed multiplies proc rate for all items. Required prerequisite for Swift Quiver further down the branch.
Prereq for: Swift Quiver (Branch 2)
2SP
Focused ShotStrong
+8% damage to slowed/chilled enemies
Conditional bonus that activates on enemies affected by Frost Wand chill or Choke Hold slow. Stronger than it looks — in the mid-game, the majority of wave enemies are slowed by one source or another.
Synergy: Frost Wand, Choke Hold (Defender)
2SP
Nocking SpeedStrong
+8% attack speed
A second early attack speed node. Taking both Steady Draw and Nocking Speed gives +13% attack speed before reaching Swift Quiver — a meaningful headstart on the proc rate multiplier.
Prereq for: Rapid Nock (Branch 3)
1SP
Lightweight QuiverSituational
+6% Archer movement speed
Movement speed benefits the Archer when enemies break through the Defender and chase the backline. Situational in Story Mode; more consistently valuable in Endless Mode where repositioning frequency increases from Round 50+.
1SP
Bowyer's TrainingSkip
+12 max HP
Flat HP with no other effect. The Archer is not a tank — this does not meaningfully change survivability against enemies that reach the backline. Skip entirely unless prerequisite-gated.
1SP
Callused HandsSkip
+3% damage, +3% attack speed
Split-stat node with below-average values on both. A better 2 SP node exists at every equivalent investment level. Only take if you need to fulfill a prerequisite chain and have spare points.
Branch 2 — Speed & Range
Requires: Steady Draw
The highest-value branch in the entire tree. Swift Quiver and Eagle Eye are both must-takes for every build. This branch is the second destination after the entry nodes.
3SP
Swift QuiverCore
+15% attack speed
The most efficient attack speed investment in the tree. Multiplies proc rate on Venom Bow, Frost Wand chill chance, Ban Hammer stun chance, and all on-hit effects. Every additional attack per second is a multiplicative DPS increase on every item simultaneously.
Requires: Steady Draw
Synergy: All proc-based items — Venom Bow, Frost Wand, Ban Hammer
3SP
Eagle EyeCore
+20% attack range
Range extension enables the Archer to engage from further back — which is also further from the Defender cluster, making Lone Ranger isolation easier to maintain. At Round 60+ in Endless Mode, range is the primary enabler of continued backline safety as enemy speed escalates.
Requires: Steady Draw or Nocking Speed
Synergy: Lone Ranger (isolation distance), Endless Mode positioning
3SP
Far SightStrong
+12% attack range
A second range node that stacks with Eagle Eye. Combined +32% range from both nodes pushes the Archer's engagement distance to near-maximum for most maps. Particularly strong on Bay Harbour for covering both paths from a single backline position.
Requires: Eagle Eye
2SP
Projectile SpeedStrong
+25% arrow travel speed
Faster arrows reach targets sooner, which matters most at high range and against fast-moving enemies. At Round 70+, fast enemies can partially avoid arrows fired from maximum range due to travel time. Projectile Speed closes the gap. Better in Endless than Story Mode.
Requires: Swift Quiver
2SP
Wind ReadingSituational
Negates blizzard/weather range reduction
Specifically counters the blizzard weather event on Frostpeak Tundra (Map 7) that reduces range by 15%. No effect on any other map. A 2 SP investment to counter one map's mechanic — take only if Tundra is consistently causing issues. Skip for Endless Mode.
Requires: Eagle Eye
Branch 3 — Critical & Precision
Requires: Nocking Speed · Headshot is the pull
The crit branch. Headshot is the target — a meaningful crit chance that applies per chain hit on Wand of Lightning and per hit against bosses. The supporting nodes in this branch are modest; Headshot itself is the reason to enter.
2SP
Rapid NockSkip
+6% attack speed, +4% damage
A split-stat gateway node to unlock Headshot. Low individual value — the entire purpose of this node is to open the critical hit branch. Take it only if you intend to invest in Headshot.
Requires: Nocking Speed · Prereq for: Headshot
4SP
HeadshotStrong
+15% critical hit chance · crits deal +50% damage
A meaningful crit chance node that applies independently to every chain hit on Wand of Lightning and to every Venom Bow burst proc. In a Wand build, 15% crit at 5 chain targets means roughly 0.75 crits per full chain on average. Boss fights benefit significantly — a crit proc during a Ban Hammer stun window is amplified by both the crit multiplier and the 25% stun amplification.
Requires: Rapid Nock · Prereq for: Precision Arrow
Synergy: Wand of Lightning (per-chain crits), Ban Hammer stun amp
3SP
Precision ArrowStrong
+10% crit chance · +25% crit damage multiplier
Extends the crit system from Headshot. Combined with Headshot: 25% crit chance with +75% damage on crits. Against bosses at round 30+, a 25% chance to deal 175% normal damage on every hit is a meaningful expected damage increase. Less impactful in Endless Mode where flat damage falls off — percentage builds don't crit in the traditional sense.
Requires: Headshot
2SP
Weak PointSituational
Critical hits reduce enemy armour by 10% for 3s
Armour reduction on crit. Primarily useful on armoured enemies in late Story Mode (Warden, Iron Warden) and on the ghost immunity mechanic in Sunken Ruins. In Endless Mode, the Venom/Bleed percentage builds bypass armour entirely and derive no benefit from armour reduction. Story Mode specialist node.
Requires: Headshot
2SP
Sure AimSkip
+6% crit chance
Marginal crit chance with no multiplier increase. Useful only if building a dedicated crit-maximisation path for Story Mode boss fights. In any other context, the 2 SP spent here returns more value in the Speed & Range or Venom branch.
Requires: Precision Arrow
Branch 4 — Pierce & Multi-Hit
Requires: Keen Eye or Headshot
The pierce branch. Piercing Shot is the on-tree equivalent of Emerald Bow — it makes arrows pass through multiple enemies without needing the item. The interaction with Venom Bow (stacking one stack per pierced enemy per arrow) is the core of the Endless Mode leaderboard build.
4SP
Piercing ShotCore
Arrows pierce through enemies, hitting up to 3 targets per shot
Transforms every attack from single-target to AoE-on-a-line. Each pierced enemy receives the full hit — all on-hit effects apply independently. One arrow delivers 3 Venom stacks (one per target), 3 Frost Wand chill rolls, and 3 Headshot crit rolls simultaneously. Stacks with Emerald Bow for 5-target pierce.
Requires: Keen Eye (2 nodes in) · Prereq for: Splinter Shot
Synergy: Venom Bow (3× stack rate), Frost Wand (3× chill chance), Emerald Bow (stacks to 5 pierce)
3SP
Splinter ShotStrong
On kill, arrow fragments hit 2 nearby enemies for 40% damage
A kill-triggered AoE that extends effective damage to enemies not in the arrow's direct path. Fragments apply on-hit effects at 40% damage value — Frost Wand chill procs at full chance from fragments. Strong during dense waves in Story Mode; diminishing returns in Endless Mode where individual enemy HP makes the 40% fragment damage increasingly irrelevant.
Requires: Piercing Shot
3SP
Scatter VolleySituational
Every 8th attack fires 3 arrows in a spread cone
Periodic volley that covers a wide angle rather than a single line. Useful for covering aerial enemies that approach from off-axis directions. Less useful when the Archer is already using Emerald Bow + Piercing Shot for maximum pierce — the single-line pierce already covers most density scenarios.
Requires: Splinter Shot
2SP
Arrow ShowerSkip
+3 arrows to Scatter Volley burst
Extends Scatter Volley from 3 to 6 arrows. Only relevant if Scatter Volley is already invested. A niche upgrade on an already situational node — skip unless building specifically around the volley mechanic for aerial map coverage.
Requires: Scatter Volley
Branch 5 — Venom & Damage over Time
Requires: Piercing Shot · Venom Mastery is the Keystone
The Endless Mode branch. Every node here directly amplifies Venom Bow's damage output. Venom Mastery is the Keystone that reduces the burst stack threshold, and Bleed Chance adds a second independent DoT source.
2SP
Poison TipStrong
+1 Venom stack applied per hit (to 2 per hit base)
Doubles the base Venom stack rate per hit. Combined with Piercing Shot, one arrow now applies 2 stacks per pierced enemy — a 5-target pierce delivers 10 stacks in one attack. Significantly accelerates the time to Venom burst trigger.
Requires: Piercing Shot · Prereq for: Venom Mastery
Synergy: Piercing Shot (10 stacks per 5-target pierce), Venom Bow
5SP
Venom MasteryKeystone
Reduces Venom burst threshold from 5 stacks to 4 stacks
A single node that reduces the burst trigger from 5 to 4 stacks. At the same attack speed, that is 20% faster burst cycle time. Against a sustained target with Piercing Shot active (2 stacks/hit), the burst now fires after 2 attacks instead of 3. The 5 SP cost is justified by the cycle time impact on the primary Endless Mode DPS source.
Requires: Poison Tip · Prereq for: Toxic Cloud
Synergy: Venom Bow, Poison Tip, Piercing Shot — complete the stack
3SP
Bleed ChanceStrong
+15% chance on hit to apply Bleed (2% max HP/sec for 4s)
A second independent percentage HP damage source on the Archer. At 15% proc chance with Swift Quiver + Nocking Speed attack speed, Bleed applies roughly once every 3–4 seconds against a sustained target. The 2% HP/sec is lower than Bleed Lance's 5% HP/sec, but it runs simultaneously — dual DoT stacks in Endless Mode are a meaningful combined damage floor.
Requires: Poison Tip
Synergy: Endless Mode — stacks with Bleed Lance for dual DoT
3SP
Toxic CloudSituational
Venom burst creates a 3-tile poison cloud lasting 4 seconds
When Venom Bow burst triggers, a poison cloud appears at the enemy's location that applies 1% HP/sec to enemies moving through it. In Endless Mode, the cloud provides incidental damage to following enemies in the same wave cluster. Less useful in Story Mode where enemy clusters are smaller and cloud placement less predictable.
Requires: Venom Mastery
2SP
Festering WoundsSkip
Bleed duration +2 seconds (4s → 6s)
Extends the Bleed Chance DoT from 4 to 6 seconds. Only useful if Bleed Chance is already invested. The additional 2 seconds adds 4% max HP damage over the extended tick — meaningful at very high enemy HP (Endless R100+), but competing with better node choices at the same cost.
Requires: Bleed Chance
Branch 6 — Isolation & Solo Combat
Requires: Eagle Eye · Lone Ranger is the Keystone
The most important branch in the tree. Lone Ranger is the defining node of the Archer class and the reason the entire site exists. Every other node in this branch exists to support, extend, or exploit the isolation condition.
2SP
Solitary HunterStrong
+10% damage when no enemy is within 2 tiles
A proximity-based damage bonus for the Archer itself — distinct from Lone Ranger's allied tower isolation check. This node rewards backline safety. In Endless Mode, consistently active when the Archer is properly positioned away from the wave front. Gateway node to Lone Ranger.
Requires: Eagle Eye · Prereq for: Lone Ranger
4SP
Lone RangerKeystone
+20% damage when no allied tower is within proximity radius
The build-defining node. +20% to all damage — base attacks, item ability procs, on-hit effects — whenever no allied Defender, Healer, second Archer, or Tangy is within the proximity radius. Confirmed active by a green bow icon appearing above the Archer's head. The most important single node in the entire 300+ node skill tree.
Requires: Solitary Hunter · Prereq for: Honed Instincts, Fleet Foot
Synergy: Every item on the Archer receives +20% amplification when active
3SP
Honed InstinctsStrong
Lone Ranger proximity radius increased by 15%
Extends the isolation zone — a wider radius means other towers need to be placed further away, which is both harder to accidentally violate and harder to maintain intentionally. The effect is subtle but reduces accidental cancellations during hectic high-round repositioning. More valuable in Endless Mode than Story Mode.
Requires: Lone Ranger
2SP
Fleet FootSituational
+10% Archer movement speed (stacks with Lightweight Quiver)
A second movement speed node specifically behind Lone Ranger in the tree, suggesting it is designed for the scenario where enemies break isolation and threaten the Archer directly. Combined with Lightweight Quiver: +16% movement speed. At Round 80+ in Endless Mode where fast enemies occasionally bypass the Defender, this is the difference between the Archer surviving a chase and not.
Requires: Lone Ranger
3SP
Ghost StepSituational
When Lone Ranger is active, enemies have -15% chance to target the Archer
Reduces the likelihood that enemies who have breached the main defence will immediately path toward the Archer. This is a defensive node that extends the Archer's effective isolation — enemies are less likely to walk into the proximity radius accidentally. Story Mode value is low; Endless Mode value rises from Round 70+ as enemy variety increases.
Requires: Honed Instincts
Branch 7 — Utility & Support
Requires: Focused Shot or Bleed Chance · Cross-build utility
Utility nodes that don't fit cleanly into the DPS branches but provide meaningful support value. The most important here is Crowd Control Mastery, which amplifies the slow and chill effects your items already apply.
3SP
CC MasteryStrong
Slow and chill effects from Archer items are +20% stronger
Amplifies Frost Wand's 25% chill to 30%, and any other slow effect applied by the Archer. In Endless Mode, the movement slow's value increases with enemy speed — by Round 60, a 30% slow is the primary reason enemies spend enough time in the kill zone to accumulate Venom stacks before escaping range.
Requires: Focused Shot
Synergy: Frost Wand (chill strength), Ivy Bow (root duration)
2SP
Aerial HunterSituational
+20% damage against flying enemies
Conditional bonus that activates against aerial enemy types. Strong on Bay Harbour Wave 4 (aerial wave), Deep Forest (aerial enemies through canopy zones), and any map with consistent aerial threat. No value in maps without flying enemies. Take on second or third playthrough when map-specific optimization becomes relevant.
Requires: Keen Eye
2SP
Mark TargetSituational
Every 10th attack marks an enemy — marked enemies take +12% damage from all sources for 5s
A periodic mark that amplifies all damage from all towers during its window. The cross-tower amplification is the notable element — Bleed Lance ticks, Healing Circle if applicable, and other sources all receive the +12% during the mark. In a coordinated party, the mark timing creates a burst window every 10 attacks. Situational but higher ceiling than its cost suggests.
Requires: Focused Shot or Bleed Chance
1SP
Toughened HideSkip
+8% damage resistance
Defensive stat on an offensive class. The Archer should not be taking damage — if it's taking hits regularly, the fix is better positioning, not damage resistance. Skip unconditionally.
Requires: Bowyer's Training
1SP
Ranger's ResolveSkip
+20 max HP, +5% HP regen rate
Pure survivability stats. The Healer's aura handles HP regen — this node is redundant. The Archer's survivability is determined by positioning, not by raw HP. Hard skip.
Requires: Toughened Hide
Recommended Build Paths
Story Mode — Chain Lightning / Lone Ranger
Keen Eye
→
Steady Draw
→
Nocking Speed
→
Swift Quiver
→
Eagle Eye
→
Solitary Hunter
→
Lone Ranger
→
Headshot
→
Far Sight
Invest 28–32 SP. Lone Ranger + Chain Lightning is the standard Story Mode setup. Headshot's per-chain crit applies to every Wand of Lightning jump. Far Sight sustains isolation distance on dual-path maps.
Endless Mode Meta — Lone Venom Sniper (Leaderboard Build)
Keen Eye
→
Steady Draw
→
Swift Quiver
→
Eagle Eye
→
Solitary Hunter
→
Lone Ranger
→
Piercing Shot
→
Poison Tip
→
Venom Mastery
→
Bleed Chance
→
Fleet Foot
Invest 38–45 SP. The complete Endless Mode meta path. Venom Mastery reduces burst threshold to 4 stacks, Piercing Shot + Poison Tip delivers 10 stacks per attack against 5-target pierce, Bleed Chance adds a second independent DoT. Fleet Foot provides emergency mobility at Round 70+ when fast enemies occasionally bypass the Defender.
Skill Point Budget
Total SP to reach full Endless Mode meta build — accounting for entry path nodes:
| Node | Cost | Cumulative | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keen Eye | 1 | 1 | Entry node |
| Steady Draw | 1 | 2 | Required for Swift Quiver |
| Nocking Speed | 2 | 4 | Second attack speed node |
| Swift Quiver | 3 | 7 | Core proc multiplier |
| Eagle Eye | 3 | 10 | Range + isolation enabler |
| Solitary Hunter | 2 | 12 | Gate to Lone Ranger |
| Lone Ranger | 4 | 16 | The Keystone |
| Piercing Shot | 4 | 20 | Multi-target stack delivery |
| Poison Tip | 2 | 22 | 2× stack per hit base |
| Venom Mastery | 5 | 27 | Reduces burst threshold to 4 |
| Bleed Chance | 3 | 30 | Second DoT source |
| Far Sight | 3 | 33 | Extended range (optional) |
| Fleet Foot | 2 | 35 | Endless Mode mobility |
| CC Mastery | 3 | 38 | Slow strength bonus |
A fully optimised Archer build costs approximately 38 SP. The skill point cap is 520 across all three trees — this leaves 482 SP for the Defender and Healer trees. Defender typically requires 30–40 SP, Healer 30–35 SP, leaving a substantial pool for secondary investments and the Tangy personal skill tree.
✓ Free Respec
All skill points can be refunded at any time, unlimited, at no cost. There is no reason to delay investing — test builds freely, respec when you discover a better path. The v1.0.2 patch also raised the SP cap to 520, meaning points spent early are not wasted even if the meta shifts.